Pelosi 4-String

Before diving into the bass’s numerous laudable qualities, it’s worth underscoring one of its chief attractants: price. Considering its beautiful, thoughtfully chosen wood, handwound pickups, proprietary preamp, and top-notch construction, its $2,300 price tag is remarkable. Many similarly equipped boutique basses cost nearly twice that. Pelosi incorporates some intriguing design elements into his instruments, signaling a keen attention to detail. Take this telling insight: Pelosi chooses the truss-rod type and bridge to achieve a sonic goal. Doubleexpanding rods, like the one in our tester, are more massive than their single-expanding counterparts; the added density in the neck affects its resonance, as does the bridge composition (brass vs. stainless steel). The consideration extends to the body wood, which on our tester was a complex set of veneers and laminates with a beguiling zebrawood top. The good woody vibes are evident in the bold headstock, which is capped with a luscious wenge plate.

The Pelosi’s fit-and-finish was generally top-drawer, although the fretwork was a little rough in a few spots. To me, the Pelosi is reminiscent of a Carl Thompson bass, and the design proved well balanced and comfortable in my lap. The simple controls were well placed, and the instrument’s ergonomics presented no unnecessary impediments to playability. I particularly liked the easily accessible upper-frets. The neck contour had a fairly deep-C, baseball-bat contour; not my favorite profile, but that’s a matter of taste.

With both pickups blended and the EQ rolled off, the Pelosi had an aggressive voice, shimmery treble, a barky midrange, and a robust bottom. It’s a hot bass, with additional propulsion available via the boost-only EQ. While the 3-position pickup switch may not be the most flexible switching scheme, the soloed positions are truly differ- ent from one another, with none of the loading and interaction that can crop up with blend-knob-based circuits. The soloed bridge pickup sound was truly burpy and nasal. Conversely, the neck pickup is dark and throaty with a much more refined midrange. I achieved the best slap tone with the pickups blended. The result was a full-bodied, controlled attack with extended—but not harsh—treble extension for sizzly pops.

The Pelosi’s comfortable, resonant body and solid palette of a few essential tones made playing it consistently fun and engaging. The body shape was a barrier to me: It’d be cool if Pelosi offered a slightly more conservative outline that didn’t sacrifice his great pickups and thoughtful design. Nevertheless, for a luxurious boutique bass made entirely by hand, the Pelosi offers impressive value.

Alternate Opinion

At first the Pelosi’s odd curves and raw looks put me off a bit, but the more I played the bass the more its aesthetic grew on me. The neck felt resonant and round, with a chunky-but-narrow profile. The bass sounded big and warm, but articulate and mud-free. With the bass knob dimed and treble rolled off, the Pelosi sounds stout and inviting. With the bass EQ turned down, the Pelosi sounds sharp, but not nasal—perfect for chordal work. My only complaint stems from a series of minor collisions between my plucking hand and the bridge, where the saddle set-screws protrude sharply. -Bill Leigh

PELOSI 4 - STRING

List $4,600
Street $2,300
Pros High-end construction and materials; solid, strong tone
Cons Body shape an acquired taste
Bottom line A sweet hippie-sandwich bass with good playability and deep, resonant tone at a good price.

Contact

(917) 617-5466 www.pelosibasses.com

TECH SPECS

Body Alder wings, mahogany core, cocobolo center laminate, dyed-maple veneer
Top Zebrawood
Neck Wenge, sapele, maple
Fingerboard Ebony
Scale 34.5"
Weight 9 lbs
Pickups Pelosi single-coil
Controls Volume, bass, treble; 3-position pickup switch
Nut Bone
Finishes Poly/oil blend
Made in U.S.A.
Warranty Lifetime limited on electronics